r 003 114 an individualized library orientation program in - eric

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 119 651 /R 003 114

AUTHOR Sin, Tong Sup (Sam)TITLE An Individualized Library Orientation Program in

Mercer County Community College Library; CurriculumDevelopment.

PUB DATE May 75NOTE 28p.; Ed.D. Practicum, Nova University

EDRS PRICE MF-S0.83 HC-$2.06 Plus PostageDESCRIPTORS College Freshmen; *Community Colleges; Higher

--Education; Individualized Instruction; *JuniorCollege Libraries; *Library Instruction; LibraryPrograms; Library Services; Library Skills;Orientation

IDENTIFIERS Mercer County Community College; New Jersey (MercerCounty)

ABSTRACTA three-part, 50 minute, library orientation program

was designed for freshmen at Mercer County (New Jersey) CommunityCollege. The first unit was a 20 minute tour and demonstration oflibrary equipment. The second unit introd*ced students to the cardcatalog and the subject organization of books. In the third unit,students learned how to use periodical indexes to locate specificinformation. A rationale, a list of objectives, specific learningactivities, and a posttest were developed for each unit. Learningactivities provided a choice of individualized materials--print,visual, audio, or a combination. Librarians, counselors, Englishteachers, an students evaluated the program, found it successful,and made recommendations for its further use and improvement. (LS)

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AN INDIVIDUALIZa LIBRARY ORIENTATION PROGRAM

IN MERCER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIBRARY'

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

by

Yong Sup (Sam) Sim, M.S.L.S.

Assistant Professor of Library Services

Mercer County Community College

Trenton, New Jersey

DR. ROBERT VARGAS

CLUSTER COORDINATOR

A PRACTICUM PRESENTED TO NOVA UNIVERSITYIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

NOVA UNIVERSITY

May, 1975U S MENT OF HEALTH,

EDUCATION &WELFARENATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

EDUCATION

O THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO.DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROMTHE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS 2Z STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY RERESENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

EOUCATION POSITION OR POLICY

11

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Abstract 1

Introduction 2

Background and Significance.:.

4

Procedures . 6

Unit one - Your Library 8

Unit two - The Use of the Card Catalog 13

Unit Three - Periodical Indexes 17

The Results of the Evaluation of the Program 22

Recommendations 23

Bibliography 24

3

1

ABSTRACT

Three units of individualized library orientation programs

for the entering students are described. The first unit deals with

a general library tour. The second unit is on the use of the card

catalog, and the third unit explains how to use various periodical

indexes.

A simple test is included in each unit to check whether or

not each student understood the unit. An evaluation of the program

is also included.

4

2

INTRODUCTION

Mercer County Community College is a two-year publicly

supported coeducational institution, sponsored by the people of

Mercer County, New Jersey, through their Board of Chosen Free-.

holders. The college was established in 1967 to provide equal

educational opportunity for all Mercer County residents by

offering them at least two years of study beyond high school.

Programs are designed to accommodate the general interests and

occupational needs of residents who want to continue or resume

their education at the college level.'

The library in Mercer County Community College is as distinc-

tie as the college which it serves. The service and operation

of the library are determined by the extent and nature of the

curriculud, the size of the faculty, staff, and student body,

the methods of instruction, the various needs of the college

community; and finally, the amount of financial support, including

the size of the staff and adequacy of the physical facilities, etc.

In carrying out its responsibility in the academic program

effectively, the library performs many activities:

1. It selects and acquires library materials.

2. It prepares these materials for the use of students,faculty, and others who require them.

3. It circulates materials.

1Mercer County Community College, Catalog 1973-(Trenton, N.J.: MCCC College Publications & Information ServicesOffice, 1973), p. 2.

3

4. It gives reference services.

5. It gives instruction in the use of the library.

6. It interpretes library services to the administration,faculty, students, and community.

7. It supplements and continues classroom instruction.

8. It provides adequate and comfortable physical facilitiesfor study.

9. Finally, it administers the total library operations,including budget, the organization and supervision ofvarious library activities, the maintenance of thebuilding and equipment, and the public relationsactivities.

Among these activities, giving instruction in the use of the

library is one of the most important activities for new students,

because mastery of library skills is a real necessity for the

student who wishes to achieve above-average results quickly and

efficiently In his course work at MCCC.

Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze presently

known library orientation methods and to design an experimental

modular learning program. It will make students interested in the

library as well as enable them to know what the library can do for

them.

6

BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE

Library orientation is one of the many basic services of

academic libraries. Various methods of library orientation and

the importance of this service have been reported continuously

in many library and educational publications since the beginning

of academic libraries in this country.

One of the classic examples is Aldrich's excellent article

about the library's function in teaching the use of the library

to freshmen students.2 Mews stated in his book entitled, Reader

Instruction.in College and Universities, that all freshmen students

should be trained in the use of the library.3

Many outstanding scholars in the library field; such as,

Maurice Tauber of Columbia University, Paul Dunkin of Rutgers

University, and Virginia Jones of Atlanta University have voiced

the need and the significance of library orientation in academic

institutions.

Surely, emphasizing library orientation is nothing new,

however, some of the methods are new; mainly, due to improved

media, technology, and educational concepts. Frequently used media

are 8 or 16 mm motion pictures, film cartridges, cassette tapes,

videotapes, loop transmissions, printed programmed instruction

with teaching machines or scrambled books, various kinds of slides,

and sound filmstrips.

2Aldrich, E. V.,"Library's function in Teaching the Use

of the Library to Beginning Students.", Library Journal, 60:146-7February 15, 1935.

3Mews, H., Reader Instruction in Colleges and Universities:Teaching the Use Or uleLiorary, Hamden, CT.: Shoestring Press, 1972.

5

Some of the well-known orientation methods are the traditional

lecture with or without media presentation, games, programmed

instruction, and individualized instruction.

By utilizing available known multi-:Media methods, the Mercer

County College Library staff has been constantly seeking innovative

methods to motivate and instruct students in hoW to use the library

since the beginning of the college. In the first few years, our

library orientation was a part of the freshman English class. In

recent years, a ten-minute videotape presentation was tried as a part

of the total fifty minutes of college orientation.

Both methods were satisfactory in terms of attendance. The

former method could not cover all of the entering students and the

latter contributed very little toward their library skill because of

its limited and short presentation.

Therefore, a new individualized instruction has been designed

as an effective approach to the orientation problem. This instructional

package was designed by the writer of this paper and implemented in

the fall semester of 1974 during the college-wide orientation period.

The result was successful. Approximately 1700 entering students

participated. The 1700 students and the five counselors, who were

in charge of the college-wide orientation, liked the new program very

much.

8

6

PROCEDURES

As part of the continuous effort to improve the existing

library orientation methods, which were described elsewhere in this

paper, concerned librarians, counselors, and English teachers met

in the early part of May, 1974 and discussed various possible ways

of improving library orientation. Five counselors, who were in

charge of the college-wide orientation, two English teachers, who

taught EG101, and three librarians were in attendance.

The consensus of the group was that students should be oriented

within the library to allow them to examine the materials being

discussed. The orientation should be done in one fifty minute period.

With these two points in mind, a three-unit individualized

orientation program outline was completed just before the fall

semester of 1974. It was implemented in September, 1974 as a part

of orientation to the college.

In early September, 1974, there was another meeting concerning

the new orientation program. It was then decided that the new

individualized method would be tried. The library orientation would

be conducted by assigned librarians as part of the freshman orientation.

The first unit deals with a general group tour of the library

with extensive explanation about major facilities and demonstrations

of various learning equipment. The tour requires about twenty minutes.

The second unit is on the use of the card catalog. The last unit

shows how to use periodical indexes. The remaining thirty minutes

can be spent with these two units.

9

7

In early December, 1974, the new library orientation

method was evaluated through the group nominal process. Thirty-

two students were selected including four library technical

assistant program students, who had been trained to serve as

recorders. The group was devided into four units; each unit had

one trained recorder.

Each unit meeting took place in separate rooms for two

hours. The results of their opinions were tabulated.

10

8

PERSONALIZED INSTRUCTIONAL UNIT NO. 1

INSTRUCTOR'S NAME: YONG SUP (SAM) SIM

INSTITUTION: MERCER COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COURSE TITLE: LIBRARY ORIENTATION

TOPIC OF THIS UNIT: INTRODUCING YOUR LIBRARY

TARGET GROUP: FRESHMEN STUDENTS

RATIONALE

As a part of the Learning Resource Center, the library

contains 50,000 books, 700 periodicals, 4,000 microfilms, 3,500

phonodiscs, 700 motion pictures, and more than 10,000 non-print

tapes. As almost all curricula in the college require some work

in the library, mastery of library skills, is a real necessity for

the student who wishes to achieve above-average results quickly

and efficiently in his course work at MCCC.

Therefore, it is conceivable that all students would benefit

by knowing the locations of various library facilities, materials

and other basic information about the library; such as, library

hours, circulation procedures, and loan periods.

AO.

11

9

OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Cognitive

1. explain the circulation procedures

2. differentiate between circulating and non-circulating

materials

Psychomotor

3. locate various library materials

4. use various library facilities

5. check out books

6. operate various types of A-V equipment

Affective

7. appreciate positively the existing library facilities

8. realize how well the library collections are organized

to support your learning activities.

12

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

For large group

10

1. A group tour of the library with explanation of library

facilities including the late night book drop, copy machines,

typing room, main circulation desk, A-V circulation desk,

film library, and special collections.

2. Demonstration of the use of the 3M reader-printer, microfilm

reader, copy machine, cassette tape player, film strip projector,

and instructional television.

For individuals

1. Look up the library floor plan in the last page of your LIBRARY

HANDBOOK.

2. Read circulation information in the LIBRARY HANDBOOK, pp. 1-5.

Pay attention to check-out procedures and fines on page 1,

and the loan periods on page 3.

3. Read the "non-circulating materials" in the LIBRARY HANDBOOK,

PP. 7-9.

13

11

POST-TEST

Complete the following sentences:

1. To check out circulating materials, you need an

2. Some of the non-circulating materials are

3. There is a ¢ per page charge in using the Copier

machine to copy printed materials. There is a ¢ per

page charge in using the 3M reader-printer to copy from

microfilm.

4. The Saturday library hours are from am to pm.

5. Please identify the following numbers from the attached library

floor plan.

(1) circulation desk

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

14

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ANSWERS TO UNIT ONE

1. I. D. card

2. Reference books, periodicals, reserve books,

A.V. materials, test books.

3. 120

4. from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

5. (1) circulation desk

(2) current periodicals

(3) card catalog

(4) information desk

(5) microfilm room

(6) index tables

(7) art prints

(8) college catalog

(9) phonodisc

16

12

13





TOPIC OF THIS UNIT: THE USE OF CARD CATALOG

TARGET GROUP: FRESHMEN STUDENTS

RATIONALE

Originally, the word "catalog" meant a list. Today it means

a systematic or methodical arrangement of items in alphabetical or

other logical order, with the addition of brief descriptive infor-

mation; such as, price, size, and color.

The library card catalog is on 3 by 5 cards, printed;

typewritten, or mimeographed, with brief information about lib....azy

materials; such as, call number, author, imprint and collation.

The catalog cards are filed alphabetically in trays. The card

catalog is the primary index to the library collection to discover

or locate materials in the library.

17

OBJECTIVES

When you complete this unit, you will be able to:

Cognitive

1. identify five elements of a book

2. define author, title, and subject card catalogs

3. describe the MCCC Library classification scheme

4. locate the material you want by using the card catalog

Affective

5. realize the function of the card catalog in the library

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

For individuals

1. Read chapter 5, pp. 58-68, in the Guide to the use of books

and libraries by J. K. Gates or,

2. View a sound filmstrip entitled, Card Catalog by McGraw-

Hill Book Company or,

3. Read MCCC Library Handbook, pp. 15-19 or,

4. Listen to a cassette tape entitled, Card Catalog, MCCC

Library, 1974.

18

15

POST-TEST

Please complete the following sentences.

1. Most books are identified by at least five elements.

Name three.

2. Books can be recorded in the card catalog in three ways.

Name them.

3. Books are arranged in our, library according to a classfication

scheme which places all books with same together.

4. The alpha-numerical symbols located at the upper left corner of

the catalog card are called the , which

directs you to the of the book.

19

ANSWERS TO UNIT 2

1. author, title, publisher, date of publication and place of

Publication

2. author, title, sub ect

3. subject

4. call number, location

20

3.6

17





TOPIC OF THIS UNIT: PERIODICAL INDEXES

TARGET GROUP FRESHMEN STUDENTS

RATIONALE

A second major source of information in our library is

periodicals. The best way to find periodical articles is to use

the periodical indexes. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature

covers general magazines and Social Science and Humanities Index,

lists articles in more scholary journals.

Nearly every field of study has a corresponding periodical

index: Business Periodical Index, Library Literature, Biography

Index, Short Story Index, Essay and General Literature Index, and

Nursing Literature Index.

21

18

OBJECTIVES

Upon satisfactory completion of this unit of study, you

will exhibit the ability to:

Cognitive

1. list most periodical indexes the library carries

2. describe three forms of periodicals the library holds

3. explain any entry found in a periodical index

Psychomotor

4. use most periodical indexes

5. locate current periodicals

Affective

6. realize the importance of the periodical indexes

7. appreciate that one of the most important techniques

in writing term paper is the use of periodical indexes

22

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

For individuals

19

1. Read chapter 9, pp. 96-109, Guide to the use of books and

Libraries, by J. K. Gates or,

2. View a sound filmstrip titled, Indexes, (Eye Gate House, Inc,,

Jamaica, N. Y. 11435), or,

3. View motion picture titled Your Library Is in the Film Library,

which is located in LB 221 or,

4. Read MCCC Library Handbook, pp. 29-30.

23

ie.

20

POST-TEST

1. The library carries more than 10 periodical indexes.

Name five of them.

a. b.

c. d,

e.

2. Periodicals may be kept in the Library in three forms.

Name two4Of them.

a. b.

3. The following is a typical entry in the Readers' Guide to

Periodical Index. Explain what each item means.

Big success story, the Hollywood comeback.11. U. S. News, 73* 38-40 Ag 28, 72

Big success story, the Hollywood comeback

11.

U. S. News.

73:

38-40

Ag 28, 72

4. List names of three periodicals with dates that include articles

about "Aging"

5. Current issures of Periodicals are located in front of the card

catalog and are arranged by

24

21

ANSWERS TO THE UNIT THREE

1. a. Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature

b. Social Sciences & Humanities Index

c. Business Periodicals Index

d. Biography Index

e. Library Literature

f. Education Index

g. Short Story Index

h. Book Review Index

1. Applied Science & Technolo y Index

j. Essay and General L terature Index

k. The New York Times Index

2. a. Bound b. Microfilm c. current issue

3. Big success story, the hollywood comeback title of the article

il. illustration

U. S. News, name of the magazine

73: volume 73

38-40 page numbers

Ag. 28, 72 August 28, 1972-the date of magazine

4. Answer variable

5. title

25

22

THE RESULTS OF THE EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM

After use in one semester, the orientation program was

evaluated by the group of librarians, counselors, English teachers,

and 32 students, who took the program. The following are the results

of their evaluation of the program.

1. A twenty-minute tour of the library is regarded as a very

effective way of introducing the library in general.

2. Since each student learns at different speeds and in

different ways, the individualized approach of units

2 and 3 following the group tour is excellent.

3. Should this orientation presentation become a part of

OC 101, all entering students are required to take it.

4. A maximum of 25 students can be taken on an effective

group tour. Therefore, when a group of 26 or more has

to be instructed, the lecture method must be used.

5. Reading materials from other sources should be defined

or briefed. The materials should be explained to the

readers.

5. The tour and individualized approach to library orientation

seems very effective and promising. Students can be

oriented in a meaningful way within the library at their

own pace. After completing the program, students claim

that they leave the library with a new sense of confidence

in their ability to use its

26

23

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations were made to the Dean of

Students, The Chair person of the English Department, and the Chair

person of Library Services.

1. A fifty-minute library orientation should be included

permanently in college-wide Freshmen orientation.

2. Library orientation classes should take no more than

25 students.

3. English instructors should be encouraged to give their

own in-depth lecture about the use of the library on

their own schedules.

4. Individualized instructional methods with tours should

be adopted in teaching all future library orientation

classes.

5. Continuing evaluation of this method and explaining new

methods of library orientation should be encouraged.

27

24

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aldrich, E. V., "Library's Function in Teaching the Use of theLibrary to beginning Students.", Library Journal,60: 146-7, February 15, 1935.

Mews, Hazel, Reader Instruction in College and Universities:Teaching the 1JSe of the Library, Hamden, CT.: ShoestringPress, 1972.

Van De Van, Andrew H., and other, "The Nominal Group as a ResearchInstrument for Exploratory Health Studies," AmericanJournal of Public Health, March, 1972, pp. 337-342.

28